Tense Wood Watches

A Tense wood watch is not "just" a watch made of wood in the same way that Shakespeare is not "just" a writer or Pablo Picasso "just" a painter. Tense has taken the wooden watch to a new level: merging fine craftsmanship with state-of-the-art watch-making technology, to create a timepiece that simply cannot be duplicated. Tense is the oldest and most reputable major brand of wooden watches around today. Since 1971 they've been perfecting their product and all of their watches and handmade, 1-by-1 in their facility in BC, Canada. Tense "all wood watches" are backed by a limited 2-year warranty because Tense is truly proud of their products and stand behind them. -- "If you want the best, you want a Tense!"

Tense: A Rich History of Quality Manufacturing

In 1957, Ken P. Lau of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, began designing clocks. Over the next few years, Lau developed a reputation for himself as a pioneer in the emerging experimentation with using natural materials and components in his clock designs, such as wood and stone. In 1968, having gathered for himself more than a decade's worth of experience as a crafter of fine timepieces, Lau turned his creative energies toward wristwatches, and within a few years, Tense Wooden Watches was up and running as the leading maker of these unique fine timepieces. Ken Lau still comes to work even now, bringing his more than 50 years of experiences in the manufacture and design of fine wristwatches to the development of each new line of Tense watches. Tense relies on an acute attention to detail to create some of the most unique wooden watches in the industry.

Recycled Wood from Around the World

Tense Wooden Watches are made of 100% recycled and/or reclaimed wood. Tense craftsmen and craftswomen turn their keen artistic eyes to selecting the finest pieces of light, sacred sandalwood, rich walnut, bright cherry, or decadent mahogany. Pale woods and dark woods, from the far reaches of the world--locales in India, Africa, etc.--in shapes and fashions that can appeal to a wide variety of sensibilities and styles. Tense offers a range of options in design and style, featuring models for men, women, and a sizable collection of unisex designs. Each of our fine wooden timepieces is hand crafted by a master artisan, and each is one of a kind, even across the same model design, because wood is always naturally variable in shape, texture, color, and appearance.

Miyota Movements Made to Last

In watchmaker vernacular, the movement refers to the interior organs of a timepiece, the tiny gears and interconnected pieces that make it tick, and enable it to keep time as well as style. While the exterior of Tense watches evokes living trees and dense forests, the movement is 100% stainless steel, as are all products made by Miyota Movements of Japan, an old and respected manufacturer of watch and clock movements.

Miyota watch movements bear a quality of make and materials that matches up to the aesthetic and functional quality of their wooden bands and elegant watch faces. These watch engines represent the very finest principles of Japanese artisanship in action, creating a powerful and durable watch movement that is accurate and reliable for years to come. Tense wooden watches carry Miyota watch movements because they value elegance, quality, and style.

Hand-Crafted for Durability

Because of the excellence and simplicity of Tense watches, we proudly back up all of our fine timepieces with a 2-year limited warranty. Since 1971, Tense watches have been, and continue to be hand crafted according to time-honored traditions of manufacture that date back to the earliest days of wristwatch making. The materials that go into making Tense wristwatches are painstakingly selected--the best pieces of wood for aesthetic appeal, durability, and functionality, powered by the 100% stainless steel Miyota engine. You will not find any plastic or other cheaper alternative materials in a Tense wooden watch. Each piece is put together by hand at the original facility in British Columbia, Canada. Investing in a Tense watch, you know you're getting a product that is durable, long-lasting, and will continue to perform long after its warranty expires.

Supporting Eco-Friendly Business

A purchase of a Tense watch is also an investment in eco-friendly business. Whereas traditional fine timepieces are primarily made of precious metals or leather, the mining and manufacture of both of which uses up valuable natural resources and produces harmful pollution, Tense Wooden Watches are composed of 100% natural wood, all of which originates as reclaimed or recycled pieces of wood, often from driftwood or fallen trees. Tense puts a green business philosophy and a concern for the wellbeing of the planet into action as the foundation of its business model.

The expert craftsmen and craftswomen making Tense one of a kind watches don't struggle to balance eco-friendly business practices with the desire to make a quality product. The manufacture of Tense watches produces very little waste and uses completely renewable resources in procuring its materials. In this day and age, with drastic climate change already taking place, it is important to buy our goods and services from companies that value sustainable practices and fair trade sourcing. These are business values built into the Tense model, and a purchase of one of their wood watches is an investment in a company truly committed to green manufacturing.